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Understanding and Measuring Womens Economic Empowerment Definition, Framework and Indicators Understanding and Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment by Anne Marie Golla, Anju Malhotra, Priya Nanda, and Rekha Mehra Definition, Framework and Indicators 2 Understanding and Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment Anne Marie Golla/ICRW Acknowledgments ICRW gratefully acknowledges the Department of International Development (DFID), the ExxonMobil Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for their generous support of this work. Cover photos: David Snyder/ICRW Design: Barbieri and Green © 2011 International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). Portions of this document may be reproduced without express permission from but with acknowledgment to ICRW. Definition, Framework and Indicators 3 I. Introduction As interest in fostering women’s economic The concepts presented here are meant to empowerment grows, two questions arise. help practitioners, researchers and donors There is increasing recognition that eco- 1. How is women’s economic empowerment design effective, measurable interventions to nomically empowering women is essential defined? What does the term women’s advance women economically. In develop- both to realize women’s rights and to economic empowerment encompass? ing these concepts, we have drawn both on achieve broader development goals such as 2. How can women’s economic empower- the available literature and on ICRW’s direct economic growth, poverty reduction, health, ment be measured and evaluated so experience in evaluating women’s economic education and welfare. In the last five years, organizations can show they are on the empowerment programs. This document is in- a broad range of organizations have com- right track to achieving it? tended as a conceptual guide, rather than an mitted themselves to the goal of women’s operational tool kit. Economic empowerment economic empowerment. These organiza- Answers to these questions are essential to is a complex process, and the general frame- tions realize that economically empowering design meaningful strategies that will lead work presented here will have to be adapted women is a win-win that can benefit not to women’s economic empowerment. This to meet the needs of specific projects. only women, but society more broadly. It document addresses them by presenting: promotes women’s ability to achieve their 1. A definition of women’s economic empow- rights and well-being while also reducing erment; household poverty, increasing economic 2. A measurement framework that can growth and productivity, and increasing guide the design, implementation and efficiency. evaluation of programs to economically empower women; and Research has found strong reasons to em- 3. A set of illustrative indicators that can phasize women’s economic empowerment in serve as concrete examples for developing development programs: meaningful metrics for success. • Economic empowerment is one of the most powerful routes for women to achieve their potential and advance their rights. • Since women make up the majority of the world’s poor, meeting poverty-reduction goals requires addressing women and their economic empowerment. • Discrimination against women is economi- cally inefficient. National economies lose out when a substantial part of the population cannot compete equitably or realize its full potential. • Working with women makes good busi- ness sense. When women have the right skills and opportunities, they can help businesses and markets grow. • Women who are economically empowered contribute more to their families, societies and national economies. It has been shown that women invest extra income in their children, providing a route to sustain- able development. Brian Heilman/ICRW 4 Understanding and Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment II. Defining Women’s Economic III. Addressing Women’s Norms and Institutions are the “rules of Empowerment Economic Empowerment the game” or the organizational and social systems that govern activities and medi- Definition: A woman is economically To achieve women’s economic empower- ate relations between individuals and their empowered when she has both the ability ment, organizations must address the social and economic environment. Norms to succeed and advance economically underlying factors that contribute to it: and institutions influence how resources are and the power to make and act on individual and community resources, and distributed and used. economic decisions. norms and institutions. • Norms include gender defined roles, •o T succeed and advance economically, taboos, prohibitions and expectations women need the skills and resources to Resources are the building blocks women such as whether or not it is appropriate compete in markets, as well as fair and can draw on to succeed economically or for women to be in public spaces, hold equal access to economic institutions. to exercise power and agency. Resources certain types of jobs, or manage money. • To have the power and agency to can be at the individual or community level. • Institutions include legal and policy benefit from economic activities, women They are more than financial or monetary in structures, economic systems, market need to have the ability to make and nature, and include: structures, marriage, inheritance and act on decisions and control resources • Human capital (e.g., education, education systems. and profits. skills, training) • Financial capital (e.g., loans, savings) As Figure 1 illustrates, economic empow- • Social capital (e.g., networks, mentors) erment is comprised of two inter-related • Physical capital (e.g., land, machinery) components: 1) economic advancement and 2) power and agency. Both components are connected, and both are necessary to achieve better lives for women and their families. Economic gain and success (economic advancement) promote women’s hare resourc power and agency. At the same time, nd s es l a d make cho ® when a woman is able to control and share tro e an ic n fin es in resource use (power) and to define and co de ® Y make choices (agency), she is better able to C advance economically. N T E G N A WOMEN’S E M D E N ECONOMIC C A EMPOWERMENT N R A E V D W A O P IC ® M e ss O c® onomic succe ON e EC conomic gain Anne Marie Golla/ICRW Figure 1: Women’s Economic Empowerment: Two Necessary, Inter-related Components Definition, Framework and Indicators 5 Projects may approach economic empow- In addition, economic empowerment can be erment is seen as a complex, multilayered erment by working either to enhance the addressed at different levels. For example, pie, programs should “choose their slice.” resources available to women or to redefine projects may work at the individual, house- That is to say, they should concentrate norms and institutions. Furthermore, projects hold or organization level, or at the level of efforts on where they can make the most may work toward advancing women economi- communities or social networks. difference given their resources, timeframe, cally or building women’s power and agency. local conditions, and also consider what These different paths to addressing women’s The specific factors that signal progress other organizations are doing. 110613 ICRWeconomic Folder empowerment graphics B G Y:11-0 are illustrated 10/5/11 12:09 in PM Pagetoward 2 women’s economic empowerment Figure 2. For example, a microcredit program may be different in different contexts. They Even though most programs take on their that provides loans to women works primarily may even change over time, as countries specific slice of the pie, framing their work to increase women’s economic advance- or regions become more developed. Figure within a broader framework of economic em- ment through resources. A literacy or life 2 provides examples of how some projects powerment is essential. Understanding the skills program primarily increases women’s would fit within the framework. wider opportunities and challenges women personal resources in order to increase their face in the specific context of the project is power and agency. While both projects work No single program can address all of the important in order to: to increase women’s economic empower- factors that contribute to women’s economic • Determine where resources are best spent ment, they do so along different pathways. empowerment. Rather, if economic empow- to meet goals; • Design the best intervention; • Identify areas outside of the project focus that may help or hinder its success; and • Define clearly what the program will PROJECT EXAMPLE Literacy Training and will not change, and where change provides a personal outside of the project is necessary for the resource that boosts project to succeed. CES women’s agency. UR SO E R POW ER A N D A PROJECT EXAMPLE G Community Campaigns E N change social institutions E WOMEN’S C (norms) that present barriers C Y O ECONOMIC to women’s agency. PROJECT EXAMPLE N EMPOWERMENT Microcredit O M removes constraints to I financial resources that C may allow women to A D S advance economically. V AN N C IO EM T ENT U IT ST IN PROJECT EXAMPLE ND Market Based Approaches S A change how market actors NORM and institutions treat women and allow for their economic advancement. Figure 2: Contributors to Women’s Economic Empowerment Addressing Resources, Institutions and Norms 6 Understanding and Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment IV. Measuring Women’s power and agency, many projects do not seek The framework emphasizes the importance Economic Empowerment to achieve change in both areas. This means of not focusing exclusively on impact indica- that individual projects may focus measure- tors in developing monitoring and evaluation As illustrated in Figure 2, women’s economic ment more on one component than the other (M&E) plans. It is equally important to priori- 110613 ICRW Folder graphics B G Y:11-0 10/7/11 9:06 AM Page 3 empowerment has many dimensions and is or may not measure both components. tize the measurement of process, output and specific to the context under consideration.
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